1921 Women's Olympiad
First international women's sports event
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1921 Women's Olympiad Olympiades Féminines and Jeux Olympiques Féminins[2] was the first international women's sports event, a 5-day multi-sport event organised by Alice Milliat and held on 24â31 March[3] 1921 in Monte Carlo[4] at the International Sporting Club of Monaco.[5] The tournament was formally called 1er Meeting International d'Education Physique Féminine de Sports Athlétiques.[6] It was the first of three Women's Olympiads or "Monte Carlo Games" held annually at the venue, and the forerunner of the quadrennial Women's World Games, organised in 1922â1934 by the International Women's Sports Federation founded by Milliat later in 1921.[7]
.jpg)
.jpg)
Events
The games were organized by Alice Milliat and Camille Blanc,[2][8] director of the "International Sporting Club de Monaco" as a response to the IOC decision not to include women's events in the 1924 Olympic Games.[9] The games were attended by 100 participants from 5 nations: France, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Norway (mentioned by several sources, however no Norwegian athletes appear in the result lists).[9][10]
The English team was a collection of 21 athletes who attended the Woolwich and Regent Street Polytechnics in London. They set out on 21 March 1921. They were to compete in ten events and they won eight and came second in another.[11]
The athletes competed in ten events: running (60 metres, 250 metres, 800 metres, 4 x 75 metres relay, 4 x 175 metres relay and hurdling 65 metres), high jump, long jump, standing long jump (exhibition only), javelin and shot put.[12] The tournament also held exhibition events in basketball, gymnastics, pushball and rhythmic gymnastics. The tournament was held at the "Tir aux Pigeons" in the gardens of the Monte Carlo Casino.[2]
| Team | Nation | Participants |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  France |
58 |
| 2 |  Italy |
? |
| 3 |  Norway |
? |
| 4 |  Switzerland |
? |
| 5 |  United Kingdom |
21 |
Results
All gold medals went to athletes from France and the United Kingdom. Medalists:[13]
The basketball tournament was won by Team Great Britain after a win in the final against Team France with 8â7. A special commemorative medal was issued for the participants.[14]
- nb Each athlete in the shot put and javelin throw events threw using their right hand, then their left. Their final mark was the total of the best mark with their right-handed throw and the best mark with their left-handed throw.
Legacy
The tournament was a great success and an important step for Women's sports. The 1922 Women's Olympiad[12] and 1923 Women's Olympiad were held at the same Monaco venue;[15] the 1922 event is sometimes confused with the 1922 Women's World Games held in Paris.[2][9][10] The IAAF unveiled a commemorative plaque at the site of the games in 2008.[2]